Unfortunately, I think an apps popularity isn't based off of the things mentioned in this article. Apps like "Pull my finger" and "Mafia Wars" are not popular cause the creator priced them correctly or they were marketed well.
all he was saying is that it goes the other way too, especially as the app market populates. iFart was made by Joel Comm, believe me when I say he had a hand in marketing the app to drive the number of sales that it did.
Knowing a market is pretty intrinsic to marketing. It seems obvious now but iFart was genius in that lots of people found the concept funny enough to pay a dollar for. I know plenty of people who have bought it on a whim at parties.
I'd argue the contrary. For an iPhone app to take off, marketing is first and foremost. Buzz is a key ingredient. There are many ways to create buzz, and that's what makes the platform so relevant to teaching some concepts.
At least for me, hands-on experience is a required complement to theoretical learning.
But identifying a market correctly is a key business skill. I think apps like the ones you mention are pretty deplorable, but it's a sad fact that many people derive enormous amusement from fart jokes.
